Into Freedom
by LovelyDomination
Summary: Somehow he survived. He wakes... confused and almost dead, but free. He meets a strange girl. Female OC and other OC's as well. This is the first story I've written. I hope you like it! Rated M, just to be safe. ;)
1. Chapter 1: For the first time

Chapter 1:

Kagari woke up, face in the dirt, surrounded by soft moss. Blood trailed down his face to his chin from a cut in his lip, and he pushed himself over onto his back to wipe it away with the back of his hand. His heart pounding and his head pounding; he felt horrible.

It was dark, but nearby lights from a far off building shed enough light for him to see his surroundings: rough grass next to a chain link fence with thick spirals of barbed wire declaring a warning to any late night adventurer or possible trespasser with not so amiable intentions. Looking past the fence, he could see the glow of the dimly lit building, the building he and Kogami and the others had gone to catch Makishima...right? He rubbed his head, _Oww _He winced and felt the lump on his head most likely responsible for his headache. _The last thing I can remember is... _He winced again _Oi oi! Even thinking hurts! _He felt stiff and completely uncomfortable. His tongue felt dry and rough in his mouth, too thick too.

Was he dreaming? Usually dreams aren't painful. And if he wasn't, then how did he get here? His head spun making him see stars as he struggled, shakily, to get up, one leg feeling sorer and bruised then the other, but pushing past the feeling to get to a kneeling position. He then slowly placing one foot in front, trying to steady himself with his arms. He tried to push himself up with his arms, but fell to the ground. A cry of pain ripped from his lungs as he clutched his arm. A deep chunk of his arm was missing! A streak of panic shot through him as he discovered the source of the pain in his left arm. No wonder he was dizzy with the amount of blood he must've lost. Blood gushed out at the exertion and pressure he had placed on his arm in his attempt to stand.

If he was still alive with this kind of wound, then he couldn't have been here very long, or at least, had this wound for very long, a whole chunk of his forearm was missing and bleeding heavily. He cussed under his breath and tore off both the arms of his shirt. Wherever his jacket was, it was no where he could see, so the thin shirt material would have to do. He quickly wrapped both torn sleeves around the gash, wincing at the intense pain that shot through him. It would work for now, but he had to do something, clean it, wrap it better, and keep any more blood from leaving his body. He had to tell the others. Report that he was still alive. He searched for his communicator but found nothing. _Damn, _he growled. _I always seem to end up in the worst situations. _

His memory came flooding back in that moment and he reeled, head rushing. _Ah...I see now. _He glanced at the ground, eyes filled with a quiet sadness that refused to reveal itself in any other form then a quick flash of despair, which was repressed just as quickly as it had occurred. He smiled smugly,_ Geez...I really do have bad luck. _He chuckled humorlessly and got up again, but more carefully this time. The last moment he could remember was standing in front of a dominator set to disintegrate. _There's no way I could've lived through that..._ He squinted over at the building that housed the core of Sibyl, not quite nervous but apprehensive about not being found...or _being_ found perhaps. _Although I'm unsure of how long I've been gone...they should've found me immediately since I'm no longer in the vault. Even if Ko and Akane didn't find me, some drone should've... Me being a latent criminal, they wouldn't give pause to kill me for running. W__hy is it... _Kagari trailed off. _Unless..._ His eyes grew wide, _I was marked dead by the system! And... if that's the case..._ He blinked rapidly and looked around to reassure he was alone and not just dreaming this. _...am I really, could I really, be... free? _He laughed, low at first, getting louder and harder, and spun around causing his feverishly hot, practically dead body to scream at him to stop, but despite being-again-brought to his knees with pain, he continued to laugh hysterically. He calmed himself and stood straight, _Well, even if I'm not dead now, I will be if a drone spots me. _He took a breath and turned his back toward the building, facing the city, then he chuckled morosely. He slowly made his way toward the city building ahead, cautiously and carefully. _Time to start over, or perhaps... begin._


	2. Chapter 2: A little more pain

Chapter 2:

He gulped in air. It was the feeling you get after holding your breath for too long underwater, or perhaps, like when a person had woken from dea... Gasping for breath, his heart beat wildly, not out of panic, but out of his overheating body. It caused him to wonder if it was possible to die of a heart attack as it felt as if it was going to burst through him, leaping out of his chest. _Maybe I already am dead. Maybe this is limbo._ He searched with his eyes desperately to make sense of this, but seeing nothing. _Have I gone blind, or is it really pitch black here? _

His mind felt blurry and numb, and utterly useless, but despite this, he still felt a strong urge to get out of where ever it is he was.He attempting to move his hands, and then arms or legs, but it was a losing battle. They seemed to be held down by cold, metal bonds. While another person would perhaps feel the grip of fear take hold, it didn't really scare him, as he waited for whatever would come. He had had been through so much, living in prisons and working as a dog for the insane system that controlled all of Japan. He expected the worst, received the worst, but because of this, he rarely feared the worst. He had accepted being a dog to not only the system, but in the world. The trash, the garbage, he had accepted it, because he had learned at a young age, that if he wanted to avoid pain...he had to. He hated Sibyl and everything it stood for, but what good would it do to fight it? He knew from experience fighting things bigger than you only brought pain and torture. With time to spare he sighed and closed his eyes; he couldn't see anyway.

A moment ago, he was sure he was dead. He was sure of it! He saw...what he saw was horrifying, yet strangely...gave him peace. It made sense to him then. Why his life was the way it was. Why the Sibyl system claimed many victims, their only crime being witnessing others' crimes and the distress, the suffering it caused themselves. Why he and others had been taken in even though not one of them had ever committed, or even planned on commiting, a crime.

But no. Perhaps they were right about him. Because knowing this, he could destroy everything. Kagari's mouth twisted into a dark smirk. All of Japan would crumble if this came out. People would fight-no, kill each other, if they knew they could get away with it. If they knew they were run by a machine. Man fighting man. They would show their true colors.

So, perhaps they were right. Because this thought made him amused, but not just amused. In fact, he wished that it would happen; that he would be able to witness it from heaven or hell or wherever he was when it did. _Who am I kidding? I'm definitely headed for hell. _He shuddered a little, judgment would be harsh, but awaiting judgment is always worse. _Could this be limbo?_ His increasingly panicked thoughts in his head fell away as he heard the sound of an automatic door opening somewhere beyond the room he was in, "I wonder...is this what hell looks like?" He said to no one in particular, "I have to say I'm a bit unimpressed." Becoming more cognizant, he noticed that the thing he was lying on was actually a metal bed or table of some kind with a thin blanket or something soft thrown over-top; several metal bonds binding his limbs were built into it.

Just then, another door opened, blinding him with bright light as a dark figure at his feet stood above him, "And why is that?" It moved to a desk shaped blur to his left. _Who is this? Was he really alive? Was this a dream? Was he dead? _He blinked trying to remove the blur from his eyes and lifted his hand in front of his eyes, another dark blob. No matter how much he tried to focus, his eyes remained useless. He struggled to sit up on his elbows. "I guess I just expected more pain." He smiled, "You know...scary faces...pointy knives...fire?"

"I see." The voice was dull and monotone, "Is that what you wish?"

A nervous laugh slipped, "No, course not. I thought we could leave friends..." Who was this strange person? There was something about his voice that was unsettling. He tried blinking rapidly. If he could actually see his surrounding he might be able to make sense of them."I mean...you're a dark blob, I'm a dark blob. Surrounded...by...brightness. We're quite similar actually."

The blob stopped moving, "We didn't want to chance the fact that you would remember anything about this place. Your vision should return to normal in a few weeks."

"We?" Kagari frowned, "Who's we? Where am I?"

Before he had a chance to react, a pain like a knife ripping through him went tearing up his spine causing him to fall back into the unforgiving metal, he suddenly felt metal tongs grip his head, holding it still. "Wait! What are you doing!?" He tried to thrash around, but everytime he did, pain ripped through his body, this time through his heart, like a thousand needles shot into his chest, or a knife dived deep inside his heart and then dragged through it. He groaned, before screaming out in pain. It was almost unbearable and he felt himself flash in and out of consciousness. "I won't lie to you." The voice spoke, distantly in Kagari's oppressed mind, "This will hurt a lot. You may not even survive, but if you struggle, the suffering will be worse." Kagari tried once again to push away from the metal bars pushing into his skull. The pain following was so severe, he was sure his body was ripping in half as his vision faded completely and he lost consciousness. "A lot worse."


End file.
